Monitor says - "No Signal"

Question

My G3 has been connected to a 21" Dell (really a Sony Trinitron CRT flat-screen) for over 6-1/2 years, and worked flawlessly. One day, on start-up, I get a blank screen with a terse message… "NO SIGNAL." (!!) Checked all the connectors, pulled & reseated the video card (an ATI Rage 128 of 16MB, rev. 1- #661-2190, with the extra MPEG-2, DVD decoder- #661-2109); after two days of non-sense, took it to the shop… where it worked flawlessly on THEIR service counter! The battery needed to be changed, and was. Took it home, and it was "s-o-s." "NO SIGNAL."
Out of desperation, I connected a spare 20" Apple Multi-scan CRT (also a Sony Trinitron), and everything worked… 1-2-3 and we were on the desktop. Over the next two weeks, the Apple Multi-scan never failed to work.
Thinking that I had a +monitor issue,+ I acquired a Sony 20" TFT flat-screen. Connecting it up, I got the same results… a blank screen with the terse message… "NO SIGNAL !!" Unsavory language followed. Sooooo, I acquired another video card. Inserted it and connected up the flat screen. Again… NO SIGNAL !! The G3 was on the counter four times and worked like there never had been a problem. Even when I took the G3 in with the Sony TFT flat-screen. They said to hold down the Command-Option-P & R keys on start-up. This will bring the flat-screen up, but on start-up later, itz back to business as usual. IF my video card were the problem, the flat-screen would NOT work at all; once up & running, I've made changes to all the monitor settings- to my satisfaction. I've run it for three hours. Re-setting the P-RAM has not changed the blank screen & NO SIGNAL problem.
So, for now, itz the G3, Multi-scan and me. The flat-screen sits. Appearantly, there seems to be BOTH a hardware and software problem. But I'm leaning more towards the software. However, my brainbox DOES know what monitor is connected to it, viz the DISPLAYS pane.
WHAT say you– Grand Wizards?

Answer 1

Hi! and THX for your reply . The Sony TFT LED flat-screen has 2 RGB analog inputs (J15 & J16) and 1 DVI-D (J17); the flat-screen knows which input is connected to the G3. In the downloaded Sony TFT LED Computer Display manual, on page 15 - under the "INPUT SENSING ON/OFF menu," the monitor automatically detects an input signal to an input terminal and changes the input automatically. While there are no specific "switches," there is the menu. Apparently, I can turn off the *automatic sensing* and manually set the input. I haven't "tried"that just yet. When I rise to the chore of moving things all around again, I'll try manually setting the input. However, I doubt that this will have any effect on things.
Not to throw more dust into the air and further confuse matters, I am begining to suspect my original OS X 10.3 install disk; the one I acquired was for/from a 12" PowerBook G4… @ the time, brilliant me said… "So itz for a 12" PowerBook, so what? Itz Panther, right??" After the original install, there followed 2 updates,the last one being 10.3.9; up until recently, there have been absolutely no glitches on start-up. ALWAYS full-screen… until about a week ago. NOW, the last half dozen start-ups, have been with the reduced screen (the gray "bite-of-the-Apple) for the 12" PowerBook (!!). In any event, I am acquiring a "regular" version of the Panther install disk.
I find it strange that what triggered this whole mess (apparently) was failure of the PRAM battery. Or perhaps, that was just coincidental? REGARDS.